Improved bolt-fastening- for rail-tibs



CHARLES H. CROSBY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO HIlVlSELF, JOHN ROSS, AND CHARLES A. 'EROWBRIDGE Letters Patent No. 85,794, dated January 12, 1869.

' The; Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making prt: of the same.

To all whom 'it 'ma/y concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. CROSBY, of Bostou, iu-the county of Suffolk, and State of Massacl'lusetts, have invented a new and useful Inipmvement in Joints or Connections-ihr Railway-Rails; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description tl'lereoi, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the saine, reference being'had tothe accompanying' drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figrure l 4is a planor top viewof my invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same, taken in the line xx, fig. 1.

Similar letters of reierence indicate like parts.

This 'invention relates to a new and useful improvement in that class of joints or connections for railwaylails, in which screw-bolts 'pass transversely through plates placed at both sides of the rails, and also through the rails.

The object ofthe invention is to dispense with the use of nuts on the bolts, and toohtain a simple means for preventing the casual loosening and unscrewing of the bolts, the advantages of which will be hereinafter set forth. y

v In the accompanying sheet of drawings- A A represent the ends of two railway-rails, which.

are placed nearly in Contact with each other, a short space being allowed for expansion, and

B B' represent two plates, which are placed, one at each side of the rails, against thenecks of' the saine.

These plates are perierated with holes, and also the rails A A, to vadmit of screw-bolts C passing through them, (see g. 2,) the holes of the plate Bv', which is at the inner side of the rails, being tapped or provided with 'a female screw-thread, to receive the male screws of the holt (l. The holes of the plate B, at the outer sides of the rails, are not tapped, neither are the. holes in the rails.

Washers a are interposed between the plate B and the heads b ofthe bolts, and the heads b have each a hole made through them, to admit of a rod, D, being passed through all the bolt-heads. The ends of this rod are bent, 'in order to prevent it being casually.

with drawn.

The object of the rod D is to prevent the casual turning ofthe bolts O, and the consequent loosening of the plates B B.

By this arrangement, I dispense with the use of nuts entirely, the tapped holesin the inner plate B answering the purpose of nuts, while the rod D, passing through the bolt-heads, effectually prevents the' casual turning and unseren/ing of the bolts.

The nuts ofthe ordinary screw-bolts used with railjoints, are at the outer sides of the rails, and the heads, which are at the inner sides, are frequently broken off by the iiauges of the car-Wheels, causing a great deal of annoyance, and a considerable expenditure of time in replacing bolts-a difficulty which is fully obviated Y 

